Mushroom Derived Compound Lengthens Survival in Dogs With Cancer

Mushroom-Derived Compound Lengthens Survival in Dogs With Cancer, Study Suggests


 Dogs with hemangiosarcoma that were treated with a compound of Beta glucans derived from the Coriolus versicolor mushroom had the longest survival times ever reported for dogs with the disease. These promising findings offer hope that the compound may one day offer cancer patients -- human and canine alike -- a viable alternative or complementary treatment to traditional chemotherapies.


The study was conducted by two University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine faculty. They published their findings in an open-access article in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The Coriolus versicolor mushroom, known commonly as the Yunzhi or Turkey Tail mushroom, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years. The compound in the mushroom that is believed to have immune-boosting properties is polysaccharopeptide, or PSP. In the last two decades, some studies have suggested that PSP Beta glucans also has a tumor-fighting effect.

"There have been a series of studies looking at groups of people with cancer,"  "The issue with those studies is that they weren't necessarily measuring what most people would think is the most clinically important result, which is, do people taking PSP Beta glucans live longer?"

To address this critical question,University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine pursued a study in dogs with naturally occurring hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive, invasive cancer that arises from the blood cells and typically affects the spleen. It commonly strikes golden retrievers and German shepherds.

Fifteen dogs that had been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma participated in the trial. Divided into three groups of five, each group received a different dose -- 25, 50 or 100 mg/kg/day -- of (Beta glucans), a formulation of PSP.

The owners were instructed to give their dog capsules of (Beta glucans), compounded by Penn pharmacists, daily. Each month, the owners brought their dogs to Penn's Ryan Veterinary Hospital for follow-up visits. There, the researchers took blood samples and conducted ultrasounds to determine the extent that tumors developed or grew and spread in the dogs' bodies.

Based on the ultimate endpoints -- how quickly the tumors progressed and how long the dogs actually lived -- the results of the researchers' trial suggest that the Beta glucans was effectively fighting the tumors.

"We were shocked," University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine said. "Prior to this, the longest reported median survival time of dogs with hemangiosarcoma of the spleen that underwent no further treatment was 86 days. We had dogs that lived beyond a year with nothing other than this mushroom as treatment."

There were not statistically significant differences in survival between the three dosage groups, though the median survival time was highest in the 100 mg group, at 199 days, eclipsing the previously reported median survival time.

The results were so surprising, in fact, that the researchers asked Penn Vet pathologists to recheck the dogs' tissue biopsies to make sure that the dogs really had the disease.

"They reread the samples and said, yes, it's really hemangiosarcoma," University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine said.

Chemotherapy is available for treating hemangiosarcoma, but many owners opt not to pursue that treatment once their dog is diagnosed. "It doesn't hugely increase survival, it's expensive and it means a lot of back and forth to the vet for the dog," Cimino Brown said. "So you have to figure in quality of life."

 As an added benefit, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have found no evidence of adverse effects from the Beta glucans treatment.

 "Although hemangiosarcoma is a very sad and devastating disease, in the long term, if we prove that this works, this treatment can be a really nice alternative for owners to have increased quality time with their pet at the end of its life."



I give Lucy Swanson Beta Glucans or Beta 1,3/1,6-D-Glucans (same thing) 100mg- Immune Boosting beta 1-3, 1-6 glucan is a potent immune system stimulator. It is derived from yeast and specifically activates macrophages turning on your immune system.  I believe, though, cancer treatment needs to be as diverse and multi-pronged as possible. So it needs to be more than just this.
Here is what is working on Lucy
http://dognasalcancertreatmentforlucy.blogspot.com/2012/03/dog-cancer-supplements-and-herbs-i-use.html